Apparatus for fabricating covered buttons



Nov. 1, 1966 BUMPEI lTOH 3, APPARATUS FOR FABRICATING COVERED BUTTONS Filed June 9, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a 23' 77 b 9 24 22 QQQ 7 mm ulmmmm 35 f i Mum minim BUMPEI ITOH APPARATUS FOR FABRICATING COVERED BUTTONS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG. 4

Nov. 1, 1966 Filed June 9. 1965 FIG. 2

APPARATUS) FOR FABRHCATENG CUVERED BUTTQNS Bumpei ltoh, 3-2088 Naka-cho, Koganei-shi, Tokyo-t0, Japan Filed June 9, 1965, Ser. No. 462,680 4 Claims. (Cl. 79-5) This application is a continuation-in-part of prior application Serial No. 280,339 filed May 14, 1963, in the name of Bumpei Itoh, and entitled Apparatus for Fabricating Covered Buttons, now abandoned.

This invention relates to apparatuses for producing socalled covered buttons, and more particularly to a new apparatus for producing covered buttons.

It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus of simple construction whereby, through a simple operation consisting essentially of stacking a piece of button covering fabric, "a button upper part, and a button lower part at a certain part of the apparatus and by pushing down on a lever, a covered button can be fabricated in a rapid yet positive manner, irrespective of the thickness of the button covering fabric.

The foregoing object is achieved by the present invention which, briefly described, provides a covered button fabricating apparatus comprising essentially a work holder assembly including a work holder and a vertically sliding cylinder, a press head assembly including a press head mounted on a ram shaft, with the press head assembly being aligned coaxially with the work holder assembly and adapted to move axially relative to the work holder assembly, and a linkage and slide system including a hand operated lever and the ram shaft as the slide member for causing coaxial movement of the press head assembly. The foregoing parts as well as other auxiliary parts are so adapted that, when a button lower part, a button upper part, and a piece of button covering fabric are stacked in that order on the work holder, and the hand operated lever is pushed down, the press head assembly descends,

and a lower flange part of this assembly presses downwardly the vertically sliding cylinder, whereby the positions of the button upper part and the button covering fabric relative to the button lower part are changed, and, at the same time, the peripheral edge of the button covering fabric is folded downwardly by the inner peripheral edge of a cylinder of the press head assembly. Then, when the operating lever is further pressed down to cause the press head to descend, the work holder rises, and, as the operating lever approaches the lower dead point of its stroke, the button covering fabric is folded into the button upper part, and the button lower part is fitted into the button upper part over the folded skirt of the fabric.

The nature, principle, and details of the invention will be more clearly apparent by reference to the following description of preferred embodiments of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like parts are designated by like reference numerals and letters, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view, partly in section and with parts cut away, showing an embodiment of the ap paratus according to the invention;

FIGS. 2 and 3 are fragmentary, side elevational views, partly in section and with parts cut away, indicating the apparatus of FIG. 1 in different positions during its operation;

FIG. 4' is a fragmentary, side elevational view, principally in section, indicating the operation of a slide adjuster part of the apparatus of this invention, particularly in the case when a thick fabric is used; and

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing individual parts (we), (a), and (b) of a covered button before fabrication and a fabricated button ((1).

3,Z8Z,i3 i Patented Nov. 1, 1966 ture of the apparatus is a rigid frame 1, approximately of C shape, with a base 22 and an upper arm 2. In approximately the middle part of the upper arm 2, a ram shaft 3 is loosely fitted so as to be freely guided for sliding vertical movement. The upper end of the ram shaft 3 is pinconnected to ears 5 protruding downwardly from a lever 4 near one of its ends. The end of the lever 4 and the end of the upper arm 2 of the frame 1 areconnected by a link 6 by means of pin connections. A spring 8 is provided between a fiange 7 formed on the upper end of the ram shaft 3 and the upper surface of the upper arm 2 so as to urge continuously the ram shaft 3 in an upward direction.

A press head assembly indicated generally 9 is fixed coaxially to the lower end of the ram shaft 3 and includes an upper flange member 1d, a cylinder 11 fitted onto and fixed to the lower periphery of the upper flange member 10; and a cup-shaped member 12 fitted slidably on the lower part of the cylinder 11. A string 13 is biased between the upper flange member 10 and the member 12 so as to press the member 12 continuously downward. In this situation, the lower end portion of the spring 13 is secured to the cup-shaped member 12 such as by soldering or a peripheral outer flange may be provided on the lower end of the cylinder 11 so that the member 12 is retained against the spring. A press head 14 having a lower surface of the required curvature is positioned within the cylinder 11 to be freely movable in the vertical direction. A slide piston 15 is connected integrally with the press head 14 by means of a rod 14a extending upwardly through the flange member 19. The piston 15 is adapted to slide freely in a bore 16 formed in the lower part of the ram shaft 3. A spring 17 is disposed in the bore 16 so as to press continuously downwardly on the upper surface of the piston 15. A slide adjuster 18 is adapted to be freely slidable in the axial direction in the space between the cylinder 11 and the press head 14, and a spring 19 positioned between the upper flange member 10 and the upper surface of the slide adjuster 18 presses the slide adjuster 18 continuously downwardly. In the case where a thick button cover fabric (0) is used, the slide adjuster 18 automatically retracts, as shown in FIG. 4, so as to make possible positive fabrication of a covered button.

A work holder assembly denoted generally 21 is mounted on the upper surface of the base 22 of the frame 1 in a positive coaxially alined with and opposed to the press head assembly 9. The member of this work holder assembly 21 which is rigidly mounted on the base 22 is a base cylinder 24 provided with slide slots 23 and 23 formed in diametrically opposite sides thereof. A vertically sliding cylinder 25 is fitted slidably about the base cylinder 24 and is provided at its lower part with horizontally directed screws 27 and 27' which are passed through and slidably engage the slide slots 23 and 23, and which support, at their inner ends, a work holder 26. The work holder 26 is provided at its upper part with a work holder sleeve 23 slidably fitted thereabout. A spring 29 exerts a continuous upward force on the work holder sleeve 23. The work holder 26 has a bore 30 formed concentrically therein. A guide tube 31, which rests at its lower end on the bottom of the base cylinder 24, is slidably inserted in the bore 39 and contains therewithin a push piston 33 to the top surface of which are fixed rods 32 and 32 extending through respective holes in the upper end face of the guide tube 31 and the upper end face of the work holder 26. A spring 34 presses continuously upwardly the push piston 33, and a spring 35 presses continuously upwardly the work holder 26.

The spring constants of the above-described springs 8, 13, 1'7, 19, 2, 34, and 35 are so selected that the spring 3 35 is weaker than the spring 13, the spring 17 weaker than the spring 34, and the spring 29 stronger than the spring 35 and spring 13.

In the drawings, the reference letters a, b, and c respectively designate a button upper part, a button lower part, and abutton covering fabric of suitable size.

The apparatus according to this invention of the abovedescribed construction operates in the following manner. First, a button lower part (b) is positioned on the top of the work holder 26 and a button upper part (a), together with a piece of button covering fabric are mounted on the upper edge of the work holder sleeve 28 as shown in FIG. 1. The lever 4 is then pressed downwardly to urge the cup-shaped member 12 against the sliding cylinder 25. The downward movement of the cylinder 25 is guided by the coaction between the screws 27 and 27 and the slots 23 and 23'. At the same time, the work holder 26 and the sleeve 28 are urged downwardly against the spring 35. At this time, however, the rods 32 and 32' are held stationary so that such rods can support the button upper part (a) and the covering fabric (0) as disclosed in FIG. 2.

After the downward movement of the cylinder 25 has been arrested by the screws 27 and 27' engaging the lower ends of the slots 23 and 23, the cylinder 11, press head 14 and slide adjuster 18 will be moved further in a downward direction from the position illustrated in FIG. 1. As previously stated, since the spring 34 is stronger than the spring 17, the press head 14 will be retracted in cylinder 11 until it abuts flange ft). Thereafter, the cylinder 11 and slide adjuster 18 will continue their movements in a downward direction moving rods 32 and 32' downwardly against spring 34 and the lower edge of the cloth will meet the upper edge of the sleeve 28 and be folded downwardly by the adjuster 18 with the fabric piece (0) being supported by the rods 32 and 32. Continued movement will retract the sleeve 28 so that the upper end of the lower part (b) rojects slightly beyond the upper edge of the sleeve 28 thereby snugly fitting the lower part (b) in the upper part (a) with the folded edge of the fabric ((2) clamped therebetween (FIG. 3) for producing a covered button as depicted in FIG. 5 (d).

Then, when the lever 4 is released, the ram shaft 3 is returned automatically to its original position by the force of the spring 8. At the same time, the springs 13, 17, 19, 29, 34, and 35 cause their respective parts to return automatically to their respective original positions. The completed product is finally removed from the work holder 26. Thus, by repeating the above-described operation, it is possible to produce covered buttons in a rapid and positive manner irrespective of the thickness of the button covering fabric (c). Moreover, this fabrication procedure is extremely simple and can be accomplished by a simple apparatus of low price.

When a relatively thick button covering fabric is employed, the clearance between the same and the lower inner surface of the cylinder 11 is not sufficiently large to allow the slide adjuster 18 to project downwardly beyond the peripheral edge of the covering fabric. However, the spring 19 is effective for causing the slide adjuster 18 to fold inwardly the depending edge of the fabric covering (0'), as illustrated in FIG. 4.

Although the present invention has been described in connection with a particular embodiment and modificaxtion thereof, it is to be understood that various other modifications and variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, :as those skilled in the art will readily understand, and .such modifications and variations are to be considered as being within the purview and scope of the invention and appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an apparatus for producing covered buttons, a rigid frame having a base and an upper arm overhanging the base, a work holder assembly and a press head assembly arranged in coaxial relationship on the frame, said work holder assembly comprising a guide tube resting on the base, a sleeve-shaped work holder fitted for axial sliding movement on the guide tube, spring means cooperable with the work holder for urging the work holder in an upward direction, a sleeve slidably positioned about the upper part of the work holder, spring means cooperable with the sleeve for urging the sleeve upwardly with respect to the work holder, said work holder as sembly being adapted to receive in superposed relationship a button lower part, a button upper part and a piece of button covering fabric, said press head assembly including a ram shaft mounted for axial sliding movement in the upper arm of the frame, a cylinder supported by the ram shaft for movement therewith, a press head mounted in the cylinder for upward and downward movement with respect to the cylinder, spring means cooperable with the press head for urging the press head downwardly, and lever means operably connected to the ram shaft for moving the shaft, cylinder and press head toward the work holder assembly whereby initially the fabric piece and button upper part enter the cylinder so that the. eripheral edge of the fabric piece is folded downwardly by the inner peripheral rim of the cylinder and thereafter the cylinder of the press head assembly is fitted downward on the sleeve of the work holder assembly and is pressed onto the work holder for enabling the button lower part to be fitted into the button upper part with the downwardly folded peripheral edge of the fabric piece lying between such parts to produce the covered button.

2. In an apparatus for producing covered buttons, a frame, a work holder assembly and a press head assembly carried by said frame in coaxial relationship, said work holder assembly comprising a base cylinder mounted on said frame, a cylinder slidably positioned on the base cylinder, a work holder coaxially positioned within said cylinder and movable therewith, spring means within the base cylinder normally urging said slidable cylinder and work holder upwardly, a sleeve slidably positioned about the upper part of the work holder, spring means cooperable with the sleeve for urging the sleeve upwardly, said work holder assembly being adapted to receive in the superposed relationship a button lower part, a button upper part and a piece of button covering fabric, said press head assembly including a ram shaft mounted for free vertical movement in the frame, a cylinder attached to said ram shaft for movement therewith, a cup-shaped member slidably positioned on said last named cylinder, spring means cooperable with said cup-shaped member normally urging said cu=p-shaped member downwardly respecting such cylinder, a press head mounted within said last named cylinder, 2. piston carried by said press head mounted in a bore provided in said ram shaft and normally resiliently biased downwardly, a slide adjuster slidable axially between the press head and the last named cylinder normally resiliently biased downwardly, and lever means operably coupled to said ram shaft whereby downward movement of the lever means moves the ram shaft downwardly so that the cup-shaped member moves the slidable cylinder downwardly on the base cylinder, simultaneously moves the work holder downwardly inserting the button upper part and fabric piece into the. cylinder attached to the ram shaft with the peripheral edge of the fabric piece being folded downwardly by the inner peripheral edge of the slide adjuster and upon further downward movement of the lever means, the press head lowers for pressing the button upper part which in turn presses downwardly the sleeve against the action of its spring means for enabling the button lower part to be fitted into the button upper part with the downwardly folded peripheral edge of the fabric piece lying between such parts to produce the covered button.

3. The apparatus for producing buttons as claimed in claim 2 in which said base cylinder is provided with a pair of diametrically opposed axial slots, and the lower end of said slidable cylinder having a pair of diametrically opposed inwardly directed screws which engage said slots and support said work holder.

4. The apparatus for producing buttons as claimed in claim 3 in which said work holder is provided with a concentric axially extending bore, a guide tube slidably mounted in the axially extending bore having a closed upper end and an open lower end resting on the bottom of the base cylinder, a push piston within said guide tube, rods attached to the push piston extending through apertures :in the upper end of the guide tube and the upper end of the work holder, and spring means in the guide tube normally urging said push piston upwardly.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 323,803 8/1885 French 794 10 GRANVILLE Y. CUSTER, JR., Primary Examiner. 

1. IN AN APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING COVERED BUTTONS, A RIGID FRAME HAVING A BASE AND AN UPPER ARM OVERHANGING THE BASE, A WORK HOLDER ASSEMBLY AND A PRESS HEAD ASSEMBLY ARRANGED IN COAXIAL RELATIONSHIP ON THE FRAME, SAID WORK HOLDER ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A GUIDE TUBE RESTING ON THE BASE, A SLEEVE-SHAPED WORK HOLDER FITTED FOR AXIAL SLIDING MOVEMENT ON THE GUIDE TUBE, SPRING MEANS COOPERABLE WITH THE WORK HOLDER FOR URGING THE WORK HOLDER IN AN UPWARD DIRECTION, A SLEEVE SLIDABLY POSITIONED ABOUT THE UPPER PART OF THE WORK HOLDER, SPRING MEANS COOPERABLE WITH THE SLEEVE FOR URGING THE SLEEVE UPWARDLY WITH RESPECT TO THE WORK HOLDER, SAID WORK HOLDER ASSEMBLY BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE IN SUPERPOSED RELATIONSHIP A BUTTON LOWER PART, A BUTTON UPPER PART AND A PIECE OF BOTTON COVERING FABRIC, SAID PRESS HEAD ASSEMBLY INCLUDING A RAM SHAFT MOUNTED FOR AXIAL SLIDING MOVEMENT IN THE UPPER ARM OF THE FRAME, A CYLINDER SUPPORTED BY THE RAM SHAFT FOR MOVEMENT THEREWITH, A PRESS HEAD MOUNTED IN THE CYLINDER FOR UPWARD AND DOWNWARD MOVEMENT WITH RESPECT TO THE CYLINDER, SPRING MEANS COOPERABLE WITH THE PRESS HEAD FOR URGING THE PRESS HEAD DOWNWARDLY, THE LEVER MEANS OPERABLY CONNECTED TO THE ARM SHAFT FOR MOVING THE SHAFT, CYLINDER AND PRESS HEAD TOWARD THE WORK HOLDER ASSEMBLY WHEREBY INITIALLY THE FABRIC PIECE AND BUTTON UPPER PART ENTER THE CYLINDER SO THAT THE PERIPHERAL EDGE OF THE FABRIC PIECE IS FOLDED DOWNWARDLY BY THE INNER PERIPHERAL RIM OF THE CYLINDER AND THEREAFTER THE CYLINDER OF THE PRESS HEAD ASSEMBLY IS FITTED DOWNWARD ON THE SLEEVE OF THE WORK HOLDER ASSEMBLY AND IS PRESSED ONTO THE WORK HOLDER FOR ENABLING THE BUTTON LOWER PART TO BE FITTED INTO THE BUTTON UPPER PART WITH THE DOWNWARDLY FOLDED PERIPHERAL EDGE OF THE FABRIC PIECE LYING BETWEEN SUCH PARTS TO PRODUCE THE COVERED BUTTON. 